Projectile launching apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for lauching a projectile such as a 40-mm cartridge grenade. A short barrel is provided to receive a grenade or other round to be launched, the barrel being dimensioned to be positionable beneath the front portion of the barrel of a firearm such as the U. S. Rifle M16. The launching apparatus includes a front support which is extendable to engage the flash suppressor of the firearm, while a rear support of the launcher includes a socket for engaging the bayonet lug of the firearm. Both the front support and the rear support are deliberately designed to undergo a predetermined amount of structural deformation when subjected to recoil force produced by launching a projectile from the apparatus, and this predetermined deformation absorbs a portion of the recoil force. A hammer in the form of a spring is cocked by a pair of levers which pull the hammer back and which become disengaged from the hammer, so that the hammer and associated firing pin can fall to discharge the round. A safety mechanism prevents cocking of the hammer unless the launching apparatus is installed on a bayonet lug.

United States Patent [191 Atchisson [451 Jan. 1,1974

[ PROJECTILE LAUNCHING APPARATUS Maxwell G. Atchisson, Apt. 1, Bldg. 14, Sussex Cir., Marietta, Ga. 30060 221 Filed: Jan. 31, 1973 21 Appl. No.: 328,322

[76] Inventor:

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1934 Coupland 42/1 F 10/1966 Lewis et a1. 42/1 F 10/1968 Silsby 42/1 F Primary ExaminerSamuel Feinberg Assistant Examiner-C. T. Jordan A!t0rney-Harold D. Jones, Jr. et a1.

[57] Y ABSTRACT Apparatus for lauching a projectile such as a 40-mm cartridge grenade. A short barrel is provided to receive a grenade or other round to be launched, the barrel being dimensioned to be positionable beneath the front portion of the barrel of a firearm such as the U. S. Rifle M16. The launching apparatus includes a front support which is extendable to engage the flash suppressor of the firearm, while a rear support of the launcher includes a socket for engaging the bayonet lug of the firearm. Both the front support and the rear support are deliberately designed to undergo a predetermined amount of structural deformation when subjected to recoil force produced by launching a projectile from the apparatus, and this predetermined deformation absorbs a portion of the recoil force. A hammer in the form of a spring is cocked by a pair of levers which pull the hammer back and which become disengaged from the hammer, so that the hammer and associated firing pin can fall to discharge the round. A safety mechanism prevents cocking of the hammer unless the launching apparatus is installed on a bayonet lug.

16 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures 8| LINE 0? SIGHT 82: o 0 o o d 57 76 7-7 74 75 l4 ITAUNCHER BORES 12 I PROJECTILE LAUNCHING APPARATUS This invention relates in general to projectile launching apparatus and in particular to grenade launching apparatus which is usable in conjunction with a conventional military firearm.

It is considered necessary or desirable to provide personal projectile launching apparatus for a number of purposes. The military applications of projectile launching apparatus are well-known and have taken the form of the so-called rifle grenade, whereby an antipersonnel or other type of grenade can be launched to strike a remotely-located target which is far beyond the range of a conventional hand grenade, for example. Such projectile apparatus is additionally useful for launching flares and other pyrotechnic devices, in addition to launching explosive grenades.

It will be appreciated that a projectile launcher intended for military applications must successfully meet certain criteria. Since the launcher ordinarily will be used by infantrymen, the launcher must be relatively light of weight and small of volume, so as to minimize the burden which must be carried by the man. The launcher preferably should be readily adaptable for use in the field without requiring field assembly of plural components or time-consuming attachment, assembly, or loading requirements.

An example of a projectile currently available and intendedfor use in projectile launching apparatus of the prior art, as well as the invention described herein, is the 40-min cartridge grenade used bythe U. 8. Army and other military forces. This 40-mm cartridge includes self-contained propellent which is ignited by a percussion primer to propel a grenade or othertype of projectile.

Two types ofprior art launchers have been proposed for use with projectiles such as the aforementioned 40-mm grenade. The first such apparatus, known as the 40-min grenade launcher, M79, is a complete separate weapon including a barrel, firing mechanism, and stock, and it will be appreciated that an infantryman who is assigned to carry and use the M79 grenade launcher either must carry this weapon (along with a supply of 40-mm grenades) along with his conventional rifle, or else must forego carrying a rifle for general combat purposes. Neither alternative is desirable, since the man who carries the M79 grenade launcher in addition to his regular rifle is burdened with carrying two separate weapons and since the man who carries only the M79 grenade launcher may find himself defenseless in a situation calling for a rifle.

It has been proposed to provide launching apparatus which mounts on a rifle such as the conventional M16 rifle, and which enables the 40-mm grenade to be fired. An example of such prior launcher apparatus is identified in U. S. Army nomenclature as the 40-mm grenade launcher, M203, and is supplied to be permanently mounted on an M16 rifle. Although this prior art launcher-rifle combination provides the infantryman with a weapon capable of firing either the 40-mm grenade or conventional rifle ammunition, the combined launcher-rifle weighs approximately pounds (exclusive of the weight of rifle ammunition and grenade rounds carried by the infantryman) and so this prior art combined launcher-rifle is considered to be too heavy for general use as a weapon.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved projectile launching apparatus.

It is another object of the present invention to provide improved apparatus for launching grenades.

It is another object of the present invention to provide grenade launching apparatus which is usable in conjunction with a conventional rifle.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide grenade launching apparatus including a grenade round combined with a disposable launcher.

It is a further object of the present invention to pro vide rifle-mounted grenade launching apparatus in which a portion of the recoil force is absorbed without being transmitted to the rifle.

Other objects as well as many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description of an embodiment thereof, including the attached Figures in which:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of projectile launching apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a section view of an assembled launching apparatus containing a grenade round;

FIG. 3 shows a section view taken along 3-3 of FIG. 2, showing the present apparatus as detached from a rifle and with the safety mechanism on;

FIG. 4 shows a section view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, with the present apparatus attached to the bayonet lug of a conventional rifle and with the safety off;

FIG. 5 shows a section view taken along line 55 of FIG. 2, illustrating the arrangement of the hammer and the hammer engaging surfaces;

FIG. 6 shows a pictorial view of the present launching apparatus in firing position as attached to a conventional M16 rifle;

FIG. 7 shows a pictorial view as in FIG. 6, immediately after a grenade round has been fired from the launching apparatus; and

FIG. 8 shows a partial plan view illustrating the lugengaging portion of the lock lever and the safety lever.

Stated in general terms, the launching apparatus of the present invention includes a relatively short barrel which is attached to a rifle through attachment members which absorb or modify recoil force by resilient deformation or by undergoing a predetermined extent of structural deformation in response to the recoil force produced by a grenade round discharged from the launching apparatus. The attachment members may be configured to attach the launching apparatus to a rifle at the muzzle-located flash suppressor and also at the conventional bayonet lug, for example, and the predetermined structural deformation of the attachment members absorbs a portion of the recoil force which would otherwise be transmitted to and possibly damage the attachment locations on the rifle. The aforementioned structural deformation of the launching apparatus also renders the apparatus incapable of being immediately reloaded and re-used, so that the launching apparatus, once the grenade round has been discharged, can be discarded in the field without fear that the enemy will be able to retrieve the launcher for field reloading.

More particularly and with reference taken to FIGS. 1, 2, and 6, there is shown projectile launching apparatus indicated generally at 10 and including a barrel 11 having an open end 12 and rifling grooves 13 disposed on the interior wall. A closure 14 in the form of a cap is attached to the other end 15 of the barrel 11 by a suitable technique such as conventional threading l6,

so that the closure 14 functions in the nature of a breech block to retain a cartridge grenade round 17 within the barrel. It will be understood that the barrel l1 and the closure 14 are appropriately dimensioned to accept the desired grenade round, such as the conventional 40-mrn grenade discussed above.

A plate 21 is attached to the closure 14 and is maintained in spaced-apart relation with the end surface 22 of the closure by the plural spacers 23 which are individually disposed on a corresponding number of fastening members such as the rivets 24. The rivets 24 extend through aligned sets of holes 25 and 26, respectively disposed in the end surface 22 and the plate 21, and are secured by peening or otherwise to retain the end plate 21 in spaced-apart attachment to the closure 14.

A hammer 30 having a firing pin 31 mounted to extend into an opening 32 in communication with the interior of the barrel is positioned in the space between the plate 21 and the end surface 22 of the closure 14; the hammer 30 of the disclosed embodiment is in the form of a leaf spring having an arcuate portion 33 extending from the hammer 30 outwardly to and around the edge 34 of the closure 14 and including a support portion 35 which extends along and substantially parallel to the side wall of the closure. A finger 36 forming an extension of the support portion 35 extends inwardly to be received in an optional complementary notch 37 in the barrel 11, and a pair offingers 38a, 38b, extend rearwardly and inwardly in flanking relation to the finger 36 to engage the rim 39 of the closure 14 side wall. The firing pin 31 extends into an opening 32 passing through the end surface 22 into communication with the interior of the barrel. The finger 36 pressing against the barrel 11 functions to locate the hammer with respect to the barrel and the plate 21.

An aperture 44 is formed in the plate 21 to have an overall size and location adequate to accept passage of the hammer 30. A pair of levers 42, 43 are positioned to extend in sliding guided relation through corresponding slots 45 and 46, formed in the plate 21 to extend substantially perpendicularly to the aperture 44. As best seen in FIG. 5, each of the levers 42, 43 has a corresponding hammer engaging surface 47, 48 which is positioned at an angular relation to the plane of the hammer 30. A pull ring 49 is pivotally connected to both of the levers 42 and 43 by an attachment device such as the pin 51.

The plate 21 is provided with a rear attachment portion 55 extending outwardly of the closure 14 and configured to define an aperture 56 of a size and shape to receive and be disposed around a bayonet lug 57 as found on a military rifle such as the M16, for example. It can be seen from FIGS. 3 and 4 that the aperture 56 of the disclosed embodiment has the approximate configuration of an inverted T. A lock lever 58 and a safety lever 59 are each disposed in the space between the plate 21 and the end surface 22 to be mounted for piv' otal movement on corresponding ones of the rivets 24 and the spacers 23. The lock lever 58 and the safety lever 59 have corresponding ends 60 and 61, respectively, which normally extend as shown in FIG. 3 to occupy a portion of the outline area defined by the adjacent aperture 56. The end 60 of the lock lever 58 has a notch 62 formed therein for a purpose stated below, while the end 61 of the safety lever 59 has a beveled surface 61a in place of such a notch. The safety lever 59 includes a safety arm extending to be positioned behind the hammer 30, as seen in FIG. 3.

A leaf spring 63 has first and second ends 64 and 65 which are engaged with corresponding notches 66 and 67 in the lock lever and the safety lever, so that these two levers are normally biased by the leaf spring 63 to assume the position shown in FIG. 3. The amount of spring-biased movement of the lock lever 58 is determined by engagement of the tab 68 with the plate 21, while the amount of spring-biased movement of the safety lever 59 is determined by contact between the safety arm 70 and the head 71 of the firing pin 31. A thumbpiece 69 is provided to rotate the lock lever against the force of the leaf spring 63, for disengagement of the lock lever from an attachment lug retained in the aperture 56.

A front attachment between the present launching apparatus and a rifle is provided adjacent the forward end of the barrel 1] by a muzzle support member 73 which is retained by the bracket 74 for a limited extent of sliding movement along a channel defined by the bracket 74 and the outer surface of the barrel 11. The muzzle support member 73 has a pair of hooks 75 formed at the forward end thereof and additionally has a pair of upstanding stop flanges 76 formed at the rearward end thereof. As best seen from FIG. 1, the muzzle support member 73 and the confronting portion of the bracket 74 each may be formed in the shape of a wide V to enhance the structural strength of the respective members and additionally to further define the path of aforementioned limited sliding movement. The bracket 74, which may be secured to the barrel by spot-welding or any other suitable technique, is deliberately fabricated to have at least one weakened regi0n"77 extending in a forward direction for a predetermined distance from the rearward end of the bracket 74. These regions 77 of predetermined weakness may be provided by any appropriate technique such as scoring, cutting, or otherwise weakening the structure of the bracket 74 so that the weak regions of the bracket will undergo a predetermined extent of structural deformation as described below. It will be understood that the force tending to deform the weakened regions 77 is applied to these regions by the stop flanges 76 disposed at the rearward end of the muzzle support 73.

Considering next the operation of the embodiment as disclosed herein, it will be assumed that a launching apparatus is provided with a grenade round 17 loaded in the barrel 11 and that the muzzle support member 73 is initially disposed in the full-rearward position as depicted in FIG. 2. Turning now to an observation of FIG. 6, it will be seen that the launching apparatus 10 has been attached to the forward end of a conventional M16 rifle by first attaching the hooks 75 to the outer end of the rifle flash suppressor 80; the muzzle support member 73 is then moved to its fully-extended position, defined by engagement of the stop flanges 76 with the rearward end of the bracket 74, and the end plate 21 is moved upwardly to engage the bayonet lug 57 in the aperture 56 formed in the outwardly extending portion 55 of the plate 21. The notch 62 at the end 60 of the lock lever 58 is urged inwardly by the leaf spring 63 to retainingly engage the bayonet lug so that the launching apparatus is secured in place. Since the end 61 of the safety lever 59 does not have a notch corresponding to the notch 62, however, the safety lever is moved by contact between the beveled surface 61a and the bayonet lug 57 to occupy the position shown in FIG. 4. Accordingly, it can be seen that the safety arm 70 is now removed from its previous blocking position behind the hammer 30.

The grenade launching apparatus is now fully attached to the M16 rifle and is ready for firing. It can be seen from FIG. 6 that the launcher boresight defines an angle of elevation relative to the line of sight defined by the front sight 8l and the rear sight (not shown) of the rifle. This angle of elevation is determined by the relative dimensions of the front and rear attachments provided on the launching apparatus and is preferably selected so. that the line of sight determined by the rifle sights allows the launcher to be sighted-in at a predetermined distance, such as 100 meters. The M16 rifle is now held and aimed at the target in the conventional manner, except that a finger of the shooters left hand engages the pull ring 49, which has been moved to its outwardly-extendingposition as shown in FIG. 6. The shooters left 'hand preferably also grasps the rifle sling 83 to steady his grip.

The pull ring 49 is pulled rearwardly by the shooter, and it will be understood that this rearward movement of thepull ring and the connected levers 42 and 43 causes the hammer 30 to be moved rearwardly, against the restoring force of the leaf spring of which the hammer is comprised, to become positioned in the aperture 44 of the plate 21. The shooter continues to pull the ring 49 rearwardly until the two levers 42 and 43 are withdrawn from the respective slots 45 and 46, at which time the restoring force acting on the hammer 30 is able to push apart the hammer engaging surfaces 47 and 48. The hammer 30, thus released, moves rapidly forward to drive the firing pin 31 through the opening 32 in the end surface 22 and into firing engagement with the primer of the grenade round 17. The firing pin 31 was previously prevented by the presence of the hammer engaging surfaces 47 and 48, disposed between the hammer 30 and the end surface 22, from extending into firing engagement with the primer.

As soon as the grenade round is fired, the resulting recoil applied to the launching apparatus causes the stop flanges 76 of the muzzle support member 73 to move forwardly a predetermined distance 83 beyond the normal limit of forward movement which was previously reached when the front support member of the launching apparatus was attached to the flash suppressor 80. This predetermined distance 83 of movement as shown in FIG. 7 is caused by the crushing or other structural deformation of the bracket 74 along the weakened regions 77, and it will be understood that a portion of the recoil force is dissipated by the aforementioned structural deformation of the bracket 74 and is thus prevented from being applied to the flash suppressor 80 of the rifle. At the same time, the recoil force acting against the bayonet lug 57 causes the plate portion 55 to undergo structural deformation by crushing, bending, or the like, as depicted in FIG. 7, and it will be similarly understood that this deliberately incurred structural deformation of the plate portion 55 prevents a portion of the recoil force from being transmitted to and possibly damaging the bayonet lug 57, the bayonet lug retaining pin 84, and/or other parts of the M16 rifle. The deliberate predetermined deformation of the plate portion 55 may be obtained by any appropriate metalworking technique or combination or techniques, and may be simply provided by making the entire plate 21 from a material such as soft aluminum or the like.

The now-empty launching apparatus 10 can be removed from the rifle by operating the thumbpiece 69 of the lock lever 58, if the plate portion 55 was not structurally deformed to an extent resulting in automatic disengagement of the bayonet lug 57. The launching apparatus may now be discarded in the field, since the structural deformation of the front and rear attachments prevents this apparatus from again being mountable on a rifle without substantial reworking.

It is apparent from the foregoing description and operation of the disclosed embodiment that the present invention provides projectile launching apparatus which is compact, light of weight, and which may be detached from a rifle until a grenade is to be fired. Alternatively, the present projectile launching apparatus may be mounted on a rifle in advance of actual firing, since neither the hooks 75 nor any other part of the launcher interferes with the conventional operation of the rifle. Since the muzzle support member 73 can be stowed in a rearward position as shown in FIG. 2, the entire launching apparatus of the type shown in the disclosed embodiment can be configured to permit two complete grenade launchers, each including a loaded grenade round, to fit into a universal military ammunition pouch, thereby readily permitting the infantry rifleman to carry a pair of rifle-launchable grenades without being burdened either with a separate launching weapon in addition to his rifle or with a relatively heavy launcher permanently attached to his rifle. The sliding muzzle support member 73 allows the launching apparatus to be attached sequentially to the rifle by first engaging the hooks 75 in the flash suppressor, pulling the barrel 11 rearwardly to extend the muzzle support to the point where the stop flanges 76 contact the rearward end of the bracket 74, and then engaging the bayonet lug with the aperture 56. The open-V configuration of the bracket 74 assists in positioning the hooks 75 for proper engagement with the rifle flash suppressor, and the hooks 75 preferably are bent in conforming relation with the forward rim of the flash suppressor to assist the proper positioning of the launching apparatus with respect to the rifle.

The firing mechanism of the present grenade launching apparatus is uncomplicated in design and requires no secondary manual safety mechanism, since this firing mechanism is essentially a double-action mechanism wherein a single rearward movement of the pull ring 49 sequentially cocks and then releases the hammer. The safety arm of the safety lever 59 prevents any rearward movement of the hammer 30 unless the launching apparatus has been attached to a rifle for firing, and the positioning of the hammer engaging surfaces 47 and 48 in front of the hammer prevents firing of the grenade round at any time before the levers 42 and 43 are deliberately withdrawn from the slots 45 and 46. Since the hammer is provided by a leaf spring subjected to a substantial resilient deformation only at the time of firing, a grenade launching apparatus according to the present invention can be stored indefinitely without loss of strength in the firing mechanism spring.

The leaf spring 63, which imparts resilient positioning force to the lock lever 58 and the safety lever 59, also serves as a dust cover for the lower half of the firing mechanism, as best seen in FIG. 2.

The above-described embodiment of the invention uses deformable support structure to absorb a portion of the recoil force, with the result that the launching apparatus cannot be immediately reloaded and fired again. Although this relatively non-reusable feature is desirable for combat operations since the used launcher can be discarded without the possibility that the enemy can field-reload and fire the deformed launcher, it may also be desired to provide a reusable embodiment of the launching apparatus for training or other purposes. This may be accomplished by providing the launching apparatus with mounting members made of a suitable resiliently deformable material such as Nylon or the like.

It will be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates only to the disclosed embodiment of the present invention, and that numerous alterations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and the scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for explosively launching a projectile comprising:

receptacle means for receiving a projectile to be launched;

means associated with said receptacle means for selectively discharging a projectile received within said receptacle means;

mounting means disposed on said receptacle means for removably attaching said receptacle means to an external support; and

said mounting means being operative to absorb a portion of the recoil force imparted to said receptacle means upon firing the projectile to prevent said portion of recoil force from being transmitted through said mounting means to the external support.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said mounting means includes a force absorbing portion operative to undergo predetermined structural deformation in response to the recoil force.

3. Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein:

said force absorbing portion includes at least one region of predetermined structural yieldability and operatively interposed between said receptacle means and the external support.

4. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said mounting means includes a first support member having an engagement member for selective engagement with a first location on a firearm being used as the external support;

attachment means disposed on said receptacle means and retainingly receiving said first support member; and

said attachment means defining a region which is operative to undergo predetermined structural deformation upon the application of recoil force applied to said attachment means through said first support member engaging such first location on the firearm.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4, wherein said deformable region is provided by at least one region of structural weakness relative to the structure surrounding said deformable region, said region of relative structural weakness being operative to undergo said predetermined structural deformation.

6. Apparatus as in claim 5, wherein:

said attachment means defines a passageway;

said first support member includes a portion disposed in said passageway for a limited extent of movement therein; and

said attachment means includes said region of structural weakness which positioned relative to said passageway to define a limit of said movement of said first support member and which is structurally deformably operative to permit said first support member to move a predetermined distance beyond said limited extent.

7. Apparatus as in claim 6, wherein:

said engagement member includes hook means configured for engagement with a muzzle portion of the firearm;

said first support member includes an elongate portion extending rearwardly from said hook means and disposed in said passageway for said limited extent of movement; and

stop means disposed adjacent a rearward end of said elongate portion in force applying relation with said region of structural weakness.

8. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said mounting means defines a mounting receptacle operative to selectively engagingly receive a mounting member disposed on the external support;

securement means operatively associated with said mounting means to selectively retain the mounting member in place in said receptacle; and

said mounting means is structurally deformable in response to the force imparted to said mounting means by the mounting member in response to the recoil force.

9. Apparatus as in claim 8, wherein:

said mounting means includes a plate member extending outwardly from said receptacle means and shaped to define said mounting receptacle for secure engagement with a bayonet attachment lug of a firearm employed as the external support; and

said plate member at least in proximity to said receptacle means being structurally deformable in response to said imparted force.

10. Apparatus as in claim 8, further comprising:

safety means operatively associated with said discharging means, said safety means being selectively movable to a first position operative to prevent projectile discharging operation of said discharging means and to a second position operative to permit said projectile discharging operation; and

said safety means being biased to assume said first position and being operative to assume said second position in response to attachment of said mounting means to an external support.

11. Apparatus as in claim 10, wherein:

said safety means includes an actuating portion disposed to be biased into said mounting receptacle in the absence of a mounting member therein and operative to be displaced from said mounting receptacle by a mounting member received therein; and

said safety means being operative to assume said first position in response to said actuating portion being within said mounting receptacle and being additionally operative to assume said second position in response to said displacement of said actuating portion.

12. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein:

said means for discharging includes hammer means resiliently biased in a forward direction toward a projectile firing position;

a firing pin operatively associated with said hammer means to actuate a firing portion of a projectile disposed in said receptacle means;

at least one member releasably engaging said hammer means to move said hammer means in a rearward direction against said resilient bias; and

means operative to maintain said hammer engaging member in said engagement with said hammer means for a predetermined extent of hammer means rearward movement and additionally opera tive to release said hammer means for said resiliently biased forward movement in response to movement of said hammer engaging member to said predetermined extent.

13. Apparatus as in claim 12, further comprising:

blocking means disposed to block projectile firing motion of said firing pin; and

said blocking means being operatively associated with said hammer engaging member to be withdrawn from said blocking disposition in response to release of said hammer means by said hammer engaging member.

14. Apparatus as in claim 12, further comprising:

safety means selectively movable to a first position operative to prevent movement of said hammer means in said rearward direction and to a second position operative to permit said rearward movement of said hammer means; and

said safety means being biased to assume said first position and being operatively associated with said mounting means to assume said second position in response to attachment of said mounting means to the external support.

15. Apparatus as in claim 12, wherein:

said hammer engaging member comprises at least one lever member operatively engaging said hammer means for said rearward movement and tending to become disengaged from said hammer means;

retaining means disposed to retain said lever member in engagement with said hammer means while said lever member moves said hammer member toward said predetermined extent and to permit said lever member to become disengaged from said hammer means upon arriving at said predetermined extent.

16. Apparatus as in claim 15, further comprising:

a plate member mounted in spaced relation to said receptacle means;

said hammer means is disposed in said forward direction to be positioned between said plate member and said receptacle means;

an aperture formed and positioned in said plate member to permit said hammer member to be moved in said rearwardly direction to be at least partially disposed in said aperture;

said retaining means includes a slot extending through said plate member in communication with said aperture; and

said lever member is disposed in said slot for sliding movement for said retaining engagement with said hammer means and is operative to disengage from said hammer means upon being withdrawn from said slot. 

1. Apparatus for explosively launching a projectile comprising: receptacle means for receiving a projectile to be launched; means associated with said receptacle means for selectively discharging a projectile received within said receptacle means; mounting means disposed on said receptacle means for removably attaching said receptacle means to an external support; and said moUnting means being operative to absorb a portion of the recoil force imparted to said receptacle means upon firing the projectile to prevent said portion of recoil force from being transmitted through said mounting means to the external support.
 2. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein: said mounting means includes a force absorbing portion operative to undergo predetermined structural deformation in response to the recoil force.
 3. Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein: said force absorbing portion includes at least one region of predetermined structural yieldability and operatively interposed between said receptacle means and the external support.
 4. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein: said mounting means includes a first support member having an engagement member for selective engagement with a first location on a firearm being used as the external support; attachment means disposed on said receptacle means and retainingly receiving said first support member; and said attachment means defining a region which is operative to undergo predetermined structural deformation upon the application of recoil force applied to said attachment means through said first support member engaging such first location on the firearm.
 5. Apparatus as in claim 4, wherein said deformable region is provided by at least one region of structural weakness relative to the structure surrounding said deformable region, said region of relative structural weakness being operative to undergo said predetermined structural deformation.
 6. Apparatus as in claim 5, wherein: said attachment means defines a passageway; said first support member includes a portion disposed in said passageway for a limited extent of movement therein; and said attachment means includes said region of structural weakness which positioned relative to said passageway to define a limit of said movement of said first support member and which is structurally deformably operative to permit said first support member to move a predetermined distance beyond said limited extent.
 7. Apparatus as in claim 6, wherein: said engagement member includes hook means configured for engagement with a muzzle portion of the firearm; said first support member includes an elongate portion extending rearwardly from said hook means and disposed in said passageway for said limited extent of movement; and stop means disposed adjacent a rearward end of said elongate portion in force applying relation with said region of structural weakness.
 8. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein: said mounting means defines a mounting receptacle operative to selectively engagingly receive a mounting member disposed on the external support; securement means operatively associated with said mounting means to selectively retain the mounting member in place in said receptacle; and said mounting means is structurally deformable in response to the force imparted to said mounting means by the mounting member in response to the recoil force.
 9. Apparatus as in claim 8, wherein: said mounting means includes a plate member extending outwardly from said receptacle means and shaped to define said mounting receptacle for secure engagement with a bayonet attachment lug of a firearm employed as the external support; and said plate member at least in proximity to said receptacle means being structurally deformable in response to said imparted force.
 10. Apparatus as in claim 8, further comprising: safety means operatively associated with said discharging means, said safety means being selectively movable to a first position operative to prevent projectile discharging operation of said discharging means and to a second position operative to permit said projectile discharging operation; and said safety means being biased to assume said first position and being operative to assume said second position in response to attachment of said mounting means to an external support.
 11. Apparatus as in claim 10, wherein: said safety means includes an actuating portion disposed to be biased into said mounting receptacle in the absence of a mounting member therein and operative to be displaced from said mounting receptacle by a mounting member received therein; and said safety means being operative to assume said first position in response to said actuating portion being within said mounting receptacle and being additionally operative to assume said second position in response to said displacement of said actuating portion.
 12. Apparatus as in claim 1, wherein: said means for discharging includes hammer means resiliently biased in a forward direction toward a projectile firing position; a firing pin operatively associated with said hammer means to actuate a firing portion of a projectile disposed in said receptacle means; at least one member releasably engaging said hammer means to move said hammer means in a rearward direction against said resilient bias; and means operative to maintain said hammer engaging member in said engagement with said hammer means for a predetermined extent of hammer means rearward movement and additionally operative to release said hammer means for said resiliently biased forward movement in response to movement of said hammer engaging member to said predetermined extent.
 13. Apparatus as in claim 12, further comprising: blocking means disposed to block projectile firing motion of said firing pin; and said blocking means being operatively associated with said hammer engaging member to be withdrawn from said blocking disposition in response to release of said hammer means by said hammer engaging member.
 14. Apparatus as in claim 12, further comprising: safety means selectively movable to a first position operative to prevent movement of said hammer means in said rearward direction and to a second position operative to permit said rearward movement of said hammer means; and said safety means being biased to assume said first position and being operatively associated with said mounting means to assume said second position in response to attachment of said mounting means to the external support.
 15. Apparatus as in claim 12, wherein: said hammer engaging member comprises at least one lever member operatively engaging said hammer means for said rearward movement and tending to become disengaged from said hammer means; retaining means disposed to retain said lever member in engagement with said hammer means while said lever member moves said hammer member toward said predetermined extent and to permit said lever member to become disengaged from said hammer means upon arriving at said predetermined extent.
 16. Apparatus as in claim 15, further comprising: a plate member mounted in spaced relation to said receptacle means; said hammer means is disposed in said forward direction to be positioned between said plate member and said receptacle means; an aperture formed and positioned in said plate member to permit said hammer member to be moved in said rearwardly direction to be at least partially disposed in said aperture; said retaining means includes a slot extending through said plate member in communication with said aperture; and said lever member is disposed in said slot for sliding movement for said retaining engagement with said hammer means and is operative to disengage from said hammer means upon being withdrawn from said slot. 